Today we started the day off with our previously-designated character breakfast. At the beginning of the cruise, everyone was given tickets with a certain date and time so as to make sure, I suppose, no one was overlooked by Mickey and his Gang. Unlike the character breakfasts I've been to at the parks, where the characters circulate around multiple times, Mickey is apparently a little more pressed for time on the ship and only visits once.
On the whole, I think we find one time sufficient attention. A Cast Member comes by to prep people, arrange them into groups, and then takes the photos with your camera. I suppose it's more efficient, but as in so many instances, it loses some spontaneity.
In an unfortunate example of counter-programming, most of the talks from the morning have finished by the time we're out, so we have a quick stroll and nap (discovering our new...blanket animal) before attending the Food and Beverage Q&A with the Food Managers of the ship.
I thought this was rather interesting: I was expecting questions like "how do you come up with the menus," but people apparently decided to use this as an opportunity to air grievances with the food, and ran more along the lines of "WHY DO YOU UNDERCOOK THE VEGETABLES?!" "HOW COME I CAN'T GET FRESH SQUEEZED ORANGE JUICE?!" Which was much more entertaining (Answer: "Most people from the US like them that way," and "it's against Disney regulations.") I consider adding "WHY ARE ALL THE CHOCOLATE-COVERED STRAWBERRIES GONE?!" but decide that maybe one shouldn't say everything that one thinks.
There were also a number of questions revolving around the masses of food we daily consume--I think they said it was something like 2000 cookies a day. "They say it's the children," Executive Chef Patrick says, "but there are only 600 children on board..." I think since leaving LA, we've polished off something like 20,000 lbs of chicken, and other numbers too horrifying to remember. They mention that all the food they use must come from approved vendors, which mostly means all the food, even the food we picked up in Aruba, had to be shipped in from either LA or Orlando.
After that was over, we fought our way through the masses of people lined up for the Ally and AJ autograph session (did I forget to mention? They were the big, headliner act the night before. Apparently they're super big amongst the teens. Not knowing them, we skipped out on their show to save spots for those who would desire them more, and also our eardrums) to get to the towel folding seminar. This was put on by a group of the cabin stewards, some of which seem to know quite a quantity of animals. We like the pig.
I still think the towels may be starched or something, because no matter how many times we see them being made, they never come out quite as well with the shabby towels we have at home. Still, it's diverting.
Another lull in the activities looms, forcing us to indulge in more strolling, shopping, and napping. The weather continues fine, despite multiple storm warnings. The Captain has announced that we will change our route, but not our itinerary, in order to miss the bad weather.
The internet connection, always touchy when we're far off from a port, only allows me to download but not upload today. At least I am able to enjoy the air conditioning in the adult-only coffee bar, Cove Cafe while trying to connect.
This evening's show is the Crew's Talent Show which shows a broad range of abilities from many of the cast members and personalities we've met throughout the cruise. Christiaan, the cruise director, does breakdancing and acrobatics; Amy, the art auctioneer balances a deck lounger on her chin; the guest services department re-enacts "Thriller;" Ponz, the origami instructor sings; and "Ducky" Williams participates in "Dancing With The Officers."
We make tracks after the show to get ready for our dinner at Palo, and our evening of gluttony commences.
The thing about Palo, is that they pretty much force-feed you. Even if you try to keep your orders manageable, they'll just start bringing you extra stuff anyway. We have a plate of antipasto, an appetizer of fried calimari (much better than the previous fried calimari from the main dining room) and a 4-cheese pizza which is excellent, then grilled pesto shrimp with portabello mushrooms and a tuna tartar plate.
The shrimp is cooked perfectly...the ahi could be a little more flavorful, but that could be because it's sliced so thin as to be translucent. Interesting to note that the portion sizes of all the food in general--Palo too--seems to have been reduced, perhaps to eliminate waste from people not finishing anything. As an example, here's the shrimp salad from last December, and then from the December before that:
On the whole, although dinner at Palo is still an event you'd hate to miss, it's definitely dropped in value in the last 2 years. Not only has the charge gone up from $10 to $15 per person, but before they used to say that the charge included the gratuity, which it no longer does--which increases the price a good bit as well. Mom thinks the brunch is much better than the dinner.
We then have a mid-meal sorbet for the essential palate cleansing, and then have something of a lengthy wait for our entrees. Apparently there's an APB alert out that we insist on taking at least 2 1/2 hours to eat dinner each night.
The lobster ravioli are terrific, notwithstanding the fact that I get a piece of shell in one, as are the lamb and the tenderloin. Mom is taken aback at the onion rosettes, which she initially takes for mushrooms, but it's all delicious and overly-filling.
But don't think we're done--no one's going anywhere until we get our chocolate souffles.
Our server throws in a vanilla/mascarpone panna cotta just to make sure we explode.
It's also Pirate Night tonight, for which there is an after-dinner Pirates In the Caribbean deck party that involves about 30-60 minutes of high-energy dancing, followed by a short character sketch, and fireworks, accompanied by a Pirate buffet. It's amusing that about this time in the dinner, you see all these formally-dressed folks flinging the checks at the waiters and dashing out yelling "PIRATE NIGHT" behind them, as way of explanation. I overhear one person at a different table grousing a bit about the deck parties: "...and then the cast members shout 'EVERYBODY DANCE!'...No! I want to see Minnie tied to train tracks! Cannons going off! Mickey flying in on wires! This is Disney! They can do this!" There is, perhaps, some truth in this.
We go out to join the party and enjoy the fireworks.
It is a crowded, windy madhouse, but everyone seems to be having a raucous good time. Mickey does swing in on a wire to save the day from Captain Hook who continues to have Chronomentrophobia.
We swing by the buffet to check out the decorations, which are fabboo, but are way too full to eat anything. Besides, after the shrimp and lobster and steak and souffles, the tacos and chicken wings seem a little plebeian.
After a great deal of energetic dancing (some by Christiaan again--we wonder at his energy!) the party comes to an end, and we retire back to find our second blanket animal of the day.
We are not sure whether he's run out of towel animals that he knows, or if he's just taken to using the blanket in an effort to stop us from saving them, now that we've run out of room on the furniture to store them. In any case, we collapse asleep, trying not to think of the rapidly diminishing days ahead of us.
Tomorrow: Our last Day at Sea.
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